


Pieces of the Puzzle

by Azar



Category: National Treasure
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-07-16
Updated: 2010-07-16
Packaged: 2017-10-10 14:28:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/100789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Azar/pseuds/Azar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Riley discovers that sometimes the third time really <i>is</i> the charm.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pieces of the Puzzle

**Author's Note:**

  * For [failsafe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/failsafe/gifts).



The third time Ben and Abigail break up, Riley decides enough is enough. He's not going to wait for the three of them to stumble across Atlantis off the Florida Keys for those two crazy kids to remember why they care so much about each other. He goes to see Abigail.

Sadly, all of his most eloquent, persuasive, well-rehearsed words appear to make no impact on her. (After five years trailing around after a man who found treasure maps on historical documents like most people find toys in a cereal box, Riley would think he'd've learned to be a little more persuasive. But then again, Abigail knows all of Ben's tricks too and is clearly immune to them.)

Abigail sighs. "Riley, don't get me wrong, it's really sweet that you care so much..."

Too much, actually. But hey, if he has to lose Ben (not that he ever had him), at least it's to someone he likes. If Ben and Abigail split up for good this time, though, he might not get so lucky with the next one. He'd tell her that, but then if Abigail hasn't already figured out how he feels about Ben after all this time, what would be the point?

"...but I have to admit, I just don't get _why_ it's so important to you."

Riley has a glib answer all ready on his tongue: something about Ben's tendency towards breaking and entering getting worse when they're not speaking to each other, and him wanting to stay out of prison at least until the next hare-brained scheme.

But then the sun breaks through the clouds outside and the light coming through the window hits Abigail at the perfect angle to set her hair alight with a golden glow and Riley finds himself suddenly speechless.

Oh, hell. Bad enough he has to be secretly in love with one of his two very taken best friends, but _both_ of them?

That's it. He might as well just drive his Ferarri into the Potomac now and save himself the trouble later. She's looking at him now with a worried expression on her face. Oh. Right. He sorta forgot to answer her question, which is not exactly wildly in character for him.

"Riley, are you all right?" Abigail asks.

"I'm, um, yeah...huh?" he answers brilliantly.

Abigail gives him a funny look, her eyes losing none of their concern. Nevertheless, she continues. "Sometimes I think Ben and I were never really in love at all: it was just adrenaline."

That causes a surge of panic in Riley, strong enough to overcome his dumbstruck state. Emily had said the same thing, and then she and Patrick didn't speak for thirty-two years. He couldn't have Ben and Abigail not speak for thirty-two years! He'd have to choose sides between them! "What? No! Are you kidding me? You guys are crazy about each other."

"Then how do you explain that we always get along beautifully while we're on an adventure, but as soon as we get back it all falls apart?" She sounds tired, and it makes Riley's heart ache.

Then an idea occurs to him. An idea so crazy it's almost worthy of Ben. Or rather, it would be if it involved history instead of...you know. And it's also completely wishful thinking on his part, but unfortunately his mouth doesn't get that part of the message before it blurts out: "Me?"

Abigail looks at him, her eyebrows knitting together. "It was a rhetorical question, Riley. You don't have to answer it."

"Nonononono, that's not what I meant." _Okay, now would be a good time to stop talking before you say something completely insane and lose them both._

"Then what did you mean?" Abigail demands.

"Ummm..."

"I think he means that maybe what's missing from our relationship is him."

And oh, look, there's Ben standing in the doorway of the room. How nice, he broke in by himself this time, thus making Riley feel completely superfluous as well as tongue-tied and idiotic.

But Abigail's staring at him and then Ben's words really register for the first time and Riley leaps to his feet in horror. "Now, wait a second, I said nothing of the kind."

Ben looks at him, and Riley's heart almost drops into his stomach, because it's the way he's always wanted Ben to look at him. "I was sitting there," Ben says, "in that damned hotel room, trying to figure out what went wrong. What keeps going wrong." He looks at Abigail. "For a little while, I thought maybe you were right. Maybe it was just the excitement of the chase, that we just don't fit. But then I thought about the good times we had when we weren't treasure hunting and I realized what they had in common." His eyes shift again, and Riley swallows hard a second before Ben speaks his name. "Riley."

He's waiting for Abigail to tell them they're both insane and throw them out of her (well, technically half Ben's but who's counting?) house. And on the bright side, if he's not hearing things, that means when she did that he'd still have Ben. But after his revelation of a moment ago, Riley realizes that having Ben wouldn't be enough anymore. Damn it, but he wants them both.

Then Abigail does something unexpected. She ducks her head sheepishly and murmurs, "And here I thought it was just me."

_Hel-lo_! Riley has just about made up his mind that he's hearing things--that or having a very bizarre, very pleasant dream--when Ben smiles again. "So, Mr. Poole, what do you say? Feel up to finding out if this is a three-piece puzzle?"

You know, one of these days Riley really ought to learn to demand more evidence before he follows Ben off a cliff. But then, this time he's talking about a treasure that Riley values more than Atlantis and El Dorado put together. The very thought is dizzying.

He quips weakly: "Who am I to argue with the expert?"


End file.
